The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

242 How to Avoid Freight Claims By N. W. Van Wyck Freight Claims Agent, Canada Steam- ship Lines, Montreal NY transportation company to be A successful must give satisfaction to its patrons and one of the most important means of doing so is the prompt payment of its legal losses. To the freight claims department is pre- sented the bills for accidents, errors, and omissions incidental to the hand- ling and transportation of the various commodities intrusted to its care. Its duties are to adjust these losses with the least possible delay and to do all possible to remove the causes from which such claims arise, and by so do- ing give a strong incentive to the public to patronize the line. The soliciting freight agent finds it hard to secure business if claims are not paid. It therefore remains for the various em- ployes of the freight department to have their records in such shape as to enable them at all times to give a clear and concise report in a proper manner enabling the claims department to make whatever adjustment it finds necessary. It is practically impossible for any carrier to do business without claims, but a carrier to be successful must re- duce its losses to a minimum, and to do so requires the co-operation of its em- ployes which is the greatest asset a com- ‘pany can have. The freight claim de- partment particularly requires the co- operation of the checkers. They must properly tally the packages received, noting that the goods are properly ad- dressed, it being most essential shipments should be sufficiently marked to permit of prompt identity, which is a point many shippers entirely overlook, and the checker must see to it that such omissions are drawn to the con- signors attention. This alone will elim- inate a larger proportion of the com- pany’s losses. The billers can relieve the company of unnecessary losses in correctly tran- scribing the shipping instructions on their manifests. Many times efforts to “short-cut” this operation results in an incorrect and incomplete description of the consignment, a wrong name, address, or failure to show marks usually results in loss of freight and much annoy- ance to the consignee. Stevedores in’ handling the freight must be alive at all times to the care- ful handling essential to fragile articles, paying particular attention to the cooperage of packages which may be of inferior quality, a torn bag or a broken box, remembering that a stitch in time saves nine. The delivering of freight is another question which requires particular atten- that’ THE MARINE REVIEW tion on behalf of the inwards clerks. Many consignments are made to the order of the shipper, and it involves upon the inwards clerk to secure the original endorsed bill of lading before making delivery. This has been over- looked on some occasions, and the fail- ure of the consignee to pay the draft has resulted in the company having to assume the liability for the value of the consignment, consequently this is one of the most important factors a carrier has to deal with. It would also not be amiss to say something here in respect to “over” and “short” freight. If the checker has seen to the question of the proper mark- ing of the goods when received, and a package should through some error be put off at a point other than intended, the markings will enable our over-and- short clerk to forward the consignment N. W. VAN WYCK as stray freight to its proper destination with the least possible delay. attention to such matters possibility of loss. We should all therefore see that these various items of interest receive the very best attention, thereby serv- ing to promote the good name of the Canada Steamship Lines and furthering its success which incidentally means the success of the individuals connected with it. Prompt lessens the The Ocean Steamship Co., Savan- nah, < 46 distributing an illustrated pamphlet to mark the opening of the new Savannah Terminal. This com- pany was one of the first to ply the Atlantic coast, Starting with a fleet of a total gross tonnage of 6,563 in 1872, it has increased the tonnage to over 46,000 at the present time. The July, 1916 booklet is well illustrated with Photo- graphs of the new _ steamships and pictures and diagrams of the new terminal. Line to Spain CTION of the Spanish gov- A ernment in subsidizing the proposed steamship line pe. tween Vigo and New York, prac- tically assures the success of plans which. have been discussed in New York: for some. time American capital is expected to form a $20,- 000,000 corporation which is to oper- ate a fleet of eight fast passenger and freight steamers. It is proposed to make the crossing in six days, the steamers connecting with special trains making the trip between Vigo and Madrid in eighteen hours and connecting there with fast expresses for Paris and other points on the continent. A large hotel will be: built at Vigo in connection with the new line. The design is to make the new line the main artery between America and the continent, as the route is about 1,000 miles shorter than those by way of Liverpool or Southampton. Both terminals are neutral, it is also pointed out in this connection, and the line would not be affected by a shortage of tonnage such as that which exists on the English routes. because of the war. The Marquis de Commillas, head of the Spanish Transatlantic Co., stated that negotiations with the Spanish government had not as yet been con- cluded. The determination of the government to introduce the subven- tion bill, however, appears to assure the inauguration of the line. Moves ‘Steel. Tower ° MPORTANT changes in the ar- | aes of the harbor lights at Sheboygan, Wis., due to break- water improvements by the United States engineers, have recently been completed by the United States bureau of lighthouses. An interesting feature was the removal of the entire cylindrical steel tower from the old north pier and its replacement on a_ concrete foundation on the new breakwater. The weight of the tower is approx- imately 30 tons. The moving of the structure was by means of a scow 35 x 120 feet in dimensions. It was towed to the breakwater by a harbor tugboat and transferred to the new location on timber ways. The time consumed was one day for prelim- inary work, one day for actually mov- ing the tower, and one day for dis- posing of the gear and fastening the tower in place.